ThE trip couldn’t have come at a better time. Joburg was freezing on the morning we left, and though
I thought we’d be welcomed by a cold spell in Namibia, I was wrong.
Though it was windy, the weather was bearable and sunny as we landed in Walvis Bay after a two-hour flight.
Rainer Winter, our tour guide and driver for the duration of our stay, was waiting for us. He drove us to our hotel in Swakopmund, which is 32km from Walvis Bay.
On our way to the Swakopmund Boutique Hotel, all one could see was desert, the sandy world which stretches for kilometres. And then, out of the blue, there was the ocean. The dune-like coastline is so attractive it makes you feel as if you are in paradise and the streets are lined with palm trees.
En-route to Swakopmund you pass holiday homes and flats, including Long Beach, where Angelina Jolie stayed for the birth of her daughter Shiloh Nouvel in 2006.
We checked into our hotel rooms and after settling in, headed to the roof terrace to relax over drinks.
The hotel’s location is convenient and offers visitors access to restaurants and bars, banks, shops and the ocean.
Swakopmund is an old German town that was founded in 1892. It is characterised by German architecture, and languages spoken are Afrikaans, German, English and Damara.
What stood out as we explored the town was how clean it is – I only saw one or two pieces of paper here and there.
Compared to Joburg’s hustle and bustle, it is quiet – no traffic and no encounters with taxi drivers. The quiet may have been because we visited in winter, but the locals say it’s different in December – that’s when the town has an influx of holidaymakers.
And the roads are well maintained – I only saw one pothole.
I kept thinking that maybe we could learn a thing or two about Namibia’s service delivery. I’m not exaggerating.
The buildings in Swakopmund are old but are well-maintained.
Tourists have plenty of shopping options – from clothes and jewellery to African wood carvings, curios, and carpets.
But you are not spoiled for choice – almost all the shops sell similar items as the street sellers. And, as beautiful as the art pieces are, nothing is cheap. Be prepared to pay between R150 to about R500 for an animal sculpture or a picture depicting Namibian life or African flair.
Also, as the Namibian dollar is on par with the rand, and they accept our currency, you don’t have to worry about queueing at a forex exchange bureau.
And then we were off on our official tour of Swakopmund. It boasts monuments and historical buildings, which include the Martin Luther Museum, where you’ll find the Martin Luther steam engine. According to namibiasafaritour.com, Edmund Troost, a lieutenant of the Schutztruppe (the African colonial armed force of Imperial Germany from the late 19th century to 1918), imported a steam engine from Halberstadt in Germany in 1896. “The trip to Swakopmund proved to be a difficult task. Scarce and expensive freshwater supplies to keep the steam engine going were one obstacle, the locomotive getting stuck in desert sand the other. It eventually took Troost three months to cover the 30km to Swakopmund,” it recalled.
“When the engine finally started moving supplies inland, it sent the locals running. However, this ox wasn’t coping very well in his new habitat. Freshwater supplies remained a problem and a lot of fire wood was needed as well. The locomotive had to take so much firewood, that there was little room for other supplies. Eventually the strong German ox died on the side of the road just like his |animal brothers.
“After this people started joking that the German ox was now called Martin Luther for the word of the reformer ‘Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise’ now applied to him as well.”
Also of interest is the lighthouse, Swakopmund Prison – which was built from 1909 to 1991 and resembles a hotel or country residence – the Swakopmund Hotel and Conference centre which was a railway station until 1994, and the State House, which housed the lower and high courts.
Then there is Haus Hohenzollern which, according to Rainer, is the most photographed building in town. Built in early 1905, locals call it the “whore house” and, according to Rainer, legend has it that it was once a brothel. “That’s where prostitutes would wait for the ships when they docked.”
That evening we visited The Tug Restaurant for dinner. It is situated on the beach and is built around an old tugboat, the Danie Hugo. Seafood abounds on the menu – from the catch of the day, to oysters, salmon and lobsters, with a selection of fine wine.
I ordered the Kingklip “papillote”, which I enjoyed. For drinks I chose a cocktail.
I had some difficulty adapting to the one-hour time difference – Namibia is one hour behind South Africa – which led to me asking reception to wake me at 6.30am. Though it was chilly outside, my room was warm. I took an extra blanket in case…
I was woken by the sound of the ocean and sea birds. I went to the terrace to view the ocean and, though the weather was cloudy and a bit chilly, it did not dampen my spirits of going on the dolphin and seal cruise.
Charlie, our skipper, collected us at 7.30am for our cruise at Walvis Bay harbour (the locals pronounce it Walfish Bay).
When we arrived, we waited while Charlie and his assistants prepared the catamaran for our cruise. It was windy and chilly, but Jackson, the assistant guide, served us sherry to “keep us warm”.
While cruising, we encountered our first visitor. The boat has a platform that allows seals to climb on board. It was amazing to see a Cape Fur seal up close. We even got a chance to touch it. It’s amazing how huge it is.
Then it moved closer to our host, Dirk Bouwer from Air Namibia, who seemed to freeze on the spot. After it entertained us, Jackson fed it sardines, after which it dived back into the ocean.
We stopped at an oyster farm during the tour. Charlie even joked that oysters are “the Namibian viagras, and they are delivered daily to hospitals to keep patients still in bed”.
We next stopped at Pelican Point, home to the Cape Fur seals.
The dolphins were a bit shy, playing peek-a-boo with us, but we spotted about two or three of them.
We were also able to see a variety of sea birds, including pelicans and seagulls.
On our way back to the harbour, Jackson prepared snack platters which included fresh oysters. I decided to try an oyster, and must say, with a little bit of black pepper, Tabasco sauce and freshly-squeezed lemon juice, it wasn’t bad.
We were also served champagne and a selection of beverages.
Then a second seal joined us on board. This one was younger, raising its flipper in greeting.
That afternoon, a rugby game was being broadcast on television, but I decided to pass and went to the terrace for cocktails.
The Brauhaus restaurant we went to that night served mainly traditional German cuisine (Deutsche Küche), fresh fish, game dishes, pork, vegetarian dishes.
Their special of the day was Kalahari truffle soup. We decided to try it as a starter. It was delicious, rich and very creamy.
For the main course I had a pork chop, sauerkraut and bread dumplings (knödel), and since I don’t drink beer, had a cocktail.
I really enjoyed the juicy pork chop. I found the sauerkraut sour and the dumplings tasteless. But, nevertheless, dinner was great. Vernice and I headed back to the hotel while the rest of the group went to another pub.
The last day of our trip was the highlight. Plus, I discovered I have a small head (I’ll explain...)
Quad biking in the Namib Desert. Couldn’t wait.
After breakfast, we were met by Desert Explorers, the same one Jolie and Brad Pitt went to. On their “celebrity wall of fame”, they proudly displayed pictures of Jolie, Pitt and their children, actor Wesley Snipes and Ferdinand Rabie of Big Brother South Africa fame.
Our guides, Johnny and Paul, took us through the whole safety drill and demonstrated on how to ride the bikes. This was followed by an informative talk about the dunes and desert.
Since we were beginners, we were provided with automatic quads. I was really scared that I would fall off. Those who were brave enough, drove up the steep dunes, but I took short cuts.
As we drove we stopped to admire the beauty of the Namib desert and then there were occasions when our guides would point out fresh animal tracks in the sand.